Disruptive leadership life cycle of a business

LIFE CYCLE OF A BUSINESS

THE LIFE CYCLE OF A BUSINESS

I BUILT SUCCESS IN BUSINESS WHEN I STOPPED FOCUSING ON ME AND STARTED FOCUSING ON

HELPING OTHERS. Sharon Pearson

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THE LIFE CYCLE OF A BUSINESS

THE LIFE CYCLE OF A BUSINESS

LIFE CYCLE OF A BUSINESS Your business, the market you’re in, and the economy, cycles through stages of life.

Knowing where you’re at, where the market is at, and where the economy is at is a healthy way to approach business decisions and where to focus.

We can combine the Critical Alignment Model with each state of the business to assess the strength of an area of business, and the business as a whole.

For example, whilst ‘E’ Environment in the start-up phase is going to be best described at ‘frenetic’, we know that the ideal is to have it at ‘innovative with momentum and systems to back it’. We know the benchmark to go for.

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THE LIFE CYCLE OF A BUSINESS

STAGE ONE: BIRTH A business is started and you have just taken a risk. You’re going to be primarily managing yourself, and if you find that a challenge, it’s an indicator of how it’s going to get harder from here.

Goal:

To figure out how to start.

STAGE TWO: INFANT You’re in survival mode. You may hire someone to help handle the workload.

Organising the team is a challenge, as everything is new, and unfamiliar.

The challenge is cash flow.

Goal: Challenges:

To survive and grow.

Focus is almost entirely on production.

Don’t know the difference between cash flow and profits.

Lack of systems.

Revenues need to grow quickly.

STAGE THREE: TODDLER You’re starting to walk your talk. There is the beginning of a team, with structure, and perhaps even some management in place. People are starting to work together, but there is still reliance on you for the core decisions. You’re making progress in terms of cash flow.

Goal: Challenges:

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To survive, and to grow.

Cash flow.

Lack of systems.

People other than you create problems.

Lack of cultural message that is consistent.

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THE LIFE CYCLE OF A BUSINESS

STAGE FOUR: TEENAGER Here you are, with a management team around you to manage the business.

Cash flow is not the challenge it was. Growth is the focus. There’s innovation everywhere. You think a thousand ideas up in a day and want them all to happen.

You’re over-confident. You mistakenly think “more is better”. Leaders are too busy to attend meetings. Systems are not as strong as they need to be. Trouble could be looming…

Goal: Challenges:

Growth and revenues.

Constant entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation.

Lack of systems.

Risks are taken without appreciation of the downside.

Over-confidence drives decisions that could wound or even kill the business.

Attending meetings and taking care of the fundamentals.

There are opportunities everywhere, so problems are not solved on a timely basis.

STAGE FIVE: YOUNG ADULT Now you’re starting to anticipate the future and make more educated choices.

You’re now limiting what you focus on, rather than running from next great idea to next great idea. You are maturing. There is a focus on systems that will shape the business. There is a change in identity where you now settle down and get serious about what you stand for.

Goal:

Challenges:

To anticipate the future in order to make more educated and committed choices.

There is a focus on what not to do.

Controls, measures and standards are prioritised.

Cutting waste matters.

Tightening systems matters.

Deciding what not to do.

The team now can’t just do whatever they want, how they want. There is accountability that they’re not used to.

The founder finds this place a challenge, because the skills that built the business to this point are different to what’s required – now it’s more about management, controls and measurements, rather than gut feeling.

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THE LIFE CYCLE OF A BUSINESS

STAGE SIX: THE PRIME You get to reap the rewards of your efforts. There’s now systems for running the business so you are free to enjoy activities that are sustainable and community based. There is certainty, stability and some innovation. The business isn’t run on the whim of one person, any more. There is sustainable growth. The team knows who they are, who they don’t want to be, and where they’re heading.

There is predictable excellence. Sales and profits are growing. There are clear goals, and controlled and nurtured creation.

Goal:

Challenges:

To increase revenue and profits.

To create a business that has a vision it brings to the world.

A professional team that makes all the decisions to serve their clients at the highest level.

Entropy and ‘settling’ begins.

People lower their intensity, because it’s ‘all good’.

Compromise creeps in.

Bureaucracy and not questioning the systems begins.

Owners take their eyes off the ball as they develop other interests.

Based on Tony Robbins Business Mastery 2014

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THE LIFE CYCLE OF A BUSINESS

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THE LIFE CYCLE OF A BUSINESS

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